DLGJPA Lightweight Quick Drying - Women's Review | Tested

Nov 01, 2024

The DLGJPA Women's Lightweight Quick Drying Aqua Water Shoes scored moderately across most metrics, notably high in comfort due to their simple design. The boost in the cushion in the footbed makes for effortless cruising across hard surfaces, but is a little wobbly on rocks and a raft tube. We took on some rocks and sand through the mesh holes, leading us to think these shoes are better for environments with larger particles.

The Quick Drying Aqua Water Shoes really shine in comfort. They have a cushy footbed with more cruising power than those with better sensitivity. We especially appreciated the extra protection from sharp rocks that the raised footbed offers.

We did find them a little wobbly navigating slippery rocks and a raft tube due to the height of the heel. While the cushion is a boon for comfort at rest or just walking around on hard, flat surfaces, it resulted in a lack of sensitivity for navigating a portage trail.

While the lugs on these kicks are pretty deep, they also align with the rather large drain holes. This allows for pretty good traction for the price; it was on par with more expensive models. We could navigate around a raft just as well as these spendier shoes and walk confidently down a rocky beach in Minnesota.

Yet those deep lugs align with the relatively large drain holes, which allowed small rocks and sand to get through to our feet. With bare feet, this resulted in a drop in comfort. We started feeling some of that chafe factor on the heels after extended hiking down a sound trail.

The DLGJPAs were middle of the road regarding sensitivity. We found our proprioception to be a little off when walking around a raft or navigating slippery, slopey rocks. This resulted in a lack of trust in our balance when walking up a portage trail and grabbing a snack out of the dry box in the raft.

Yet this sensitivity drop means the footbed is cushier, so the comfort factor goes up. When it comes to this decision whether to go for comfort or sensitivity, it comes down to what you're using your shoe for. If you're a paddleboarder, you may want something with good sensitivity and proprioception to stay balanced. If you're using your shoes for walking on beaches, the sensitivity is less of a big deal to you.

We found the DLGJPA Quick Drying Water Shoes to be pretty helpful across most water sports. They stuck under a raft tube to guide a section of the San Juan pretty well as compared to higher profile models. Given the stability of the footbed on hard, flat surfaces, we think they'd be great for paddle boarding.

While they'd be excellent across rafting, SUPing, canoeing, or probably a day at the pool, they didn't transition to shore as well as some other more versatile options. Yet for the price, we think they're worth it for people just getting into boating or other paddlesports and aren't sure whether they're ready to commit to the extensive gear expenditures.

For the relatively inexpensive barrier to entry these shoes offer, we found them to be quite warm. The mesh was stretchy enough to give us room to layer socks or even a dry suit, helped by the elastic adjustable rope strap. We also thought they drained quickly and dried out in the hot sun faster than many other shoes we tested.

Yet this stretchiness of the mesh comes at a loss in durability. We found the mesh unable to spring back to normalcy after wearing it with many layers; the holes in the mesh got even bigger after use. Overall, we think these kicks would be best in warmer areas where you'd wear them barefoot and be happy with superior draining and the quick-dry factor.

Where the DLGJPA's really took a hit was in durability. As mentioned above, the holes in the mesh seemed to stretch out easily with layering and didn't spring back to their regular stretch for bare feet after wearing a dry suit. We also found the elastic mechanism rather thin and unlikely to survive extensive yarding on it to pull over layered feet.

For rafters, the shoes slide easily under a thwart but are unlikely to survive a season of jamming your feet in every day due to the lack of durability in the mesh. We also think the mesh would separate from the footbed after stretching or jamming; even after a couple of days on the San Juan, we noticed some fraying in the stitching connecting the mesh to the comfy raised footbed. All that being said, the shoes would be great for someone hopping in a raft or SUP occasionally or folks who are just getting into water sports.

If you're just getting into water sports and aren't ready to commit, or perhaps you're looking for a water shoe that works on the river and at the pool, reach for the DLGJPAs. Those looking for a budget, quick-drying, lightweight shoe may also pack a pair.